T“I sent out a team to monitor the program in Kampala and it was revealed that among the beneficiary SACCOs, 57 percent were active and 47 percent were inactive and over Shs 8 billion was given to these inactive SACCOs,” he said.

“The problem is with your leaders. Ask your leaders if the project is moving on well or they are just castigating the President? Some leaders such as councilors have failed to monitor the projects, they are in various offices but they are not talking about them.”

Mr. Byaruhanga added that due to the inconsistencies in the Emyooga program in Kampala, he was prompted to stop authorities from injecting in more funds until the issues are resolved.

“They criticise the President but he has facts and he knows how things are moving.”

On the other hand, Mr. Byaruhanga delivered President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s financial support of Shs 20 million to Akaserengeto Savings Group.

“President Museveni injected Shs20 million in your SACCO, it has come from him directly. As members, you can borrow this money from the SACCO and use it in your businesses,” he said.

“Use this money well for sustainability. The interests should be minimal so that they don’t affect members.”

Mr. Byaruhanga further assured the savings group members that he was going to help them to also receive funding from the Microfinance Support Centre since they now have a SACCO.

“The government is here to economically empower you. And when you’re empowered, the economy also grows.”

He also informed the traders that they are set to benefit from the government’s low-interest funding, known as Katale loan.

The loan, according to Mr. Byaruhanga targets low income earners and it has an interest rate of only 8 percent per annum.

“The Katale loan is to empower market vendors. We are rolling it out this July,” he said.

“We also have the boda boda loan,it is still in the process. With these current loans from private entities, boda boda riders are required to pay over Shs 12 million on completion of the loan. But with our loan, no collateral is required, it has insurance and GPS. and After two years, you only pay Shs 7 million. We are going to launch it in the near future.”

On the issue raised by Hajji Abdul Mwebesa, a prominent hides and skins trader, regarding the ban on the importation of hides and skins, Mr. Byaruhanga assured him that he will work with the relevant authorities to see how they can work the issue out.

Additionally, Mr. Byaruhanga pledged to help the traders acquire a cold room to store their meat at specific temperatures to maintain its freshness and quality for longer periods.

The Kawempe South Parliamentary aspirant, Hajjat Madina Nsereko commended Mr. Byaruhanga for loving Kawempe and giving it a special treatment in terms of empowerment.

“Through his office, Mr. Byaruhanga has impacted on various sectors in the division like water, markets, among others. We thank you for loving Kawempe.”

“We also thank H.E the President through your Office for empowering Muslims and this year, President Museveni gave Hajj pilgrimage to 34 Imams in Kawempe. We have also received Umrah offers.”

Hajjat Nsereko also thanked the Akaserengeto Executive Committee for the job well done.

“You started with 6 members and now you are 1018 members.”

Ssalongo Ssekanyo Sulaiman, Chairperson of Kalerwe Abattoir hailed Akaserengeto Savings Group for being one of the projects that are uplifting the lives of Ugandans in the area.

“We have a number of saving groups in this Abattoir. They have helped our members to save and improve their livelihoods,” he said.

Mr. Nelson Ojambo ,Vice Chairperson of Akaserengeto Savings Group informed Mr. Byaruhanga that the group started in July 2020 and they have been in existence for five years now.

“We started with six members and now we are 1018 members.Our goal was to help members deal with challenges such as inadequate capital. We said if you don’t have enough capital in your business, we should come together and help each other,” Mr. Ojambo said.

“We save everyday starting from Shs1,000. Each member has a savings account. In the process of saving, we were advised to register our group in respective authorities. And it’s in existence legally.”